The Social Experiment
by Happy Lil' Tidbit
Summary: High School fic: When Naruto, Neji, and Shikamaru get grouped together for a psychology project, they secretly give Rock Lee a new identity, and see how the other kids take him. However, as Lee says he won't abuse his newfound popularity . . . LeexSakura
1. The Assignment

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form. That sucks.

**A/N: I wanted to write something like this for a while. It's a high school fic, I know. If you ask me, the plot's kind of a cross between Wicked the musical, and Grease 2. The majority of you probably have no idea as to what I'm talking about. (sighs) Maybe that's a good thing. . .**

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Uzumaki Naruto ran through the halls of Konohagakure High School, frantically running to his second period class. (For some odd reason, his locker and classroom were on the opposite ends of the school.) The bell had already rung, and if he didn't get to class quick, he was without a doubt going to catch it from the teacher. Again.

He ran into the classroom, skidding across the tiled floor. "Sorry, I'm late," he apologized. "Did I miss anything?"

"I'm glad you could join us, Mr. Uzumaki," Ms. Omisawa stated dryly, "but don't you think that you could be a bit more punctual next time?"

Ms. Omisawa was a strict woman in her mid-thirties. Her hair was in a tight bun, and she always dressed in black as if she was attending a funeral. She frowned disapprovingly, as her arms were crossed, and her foot tapped against the ground. (It was the school joke that she and Maito Gai would make the perfect couple.) Any smart person would have said, "Yes, ma'am.", and leave it at that, but since this is Uzumaki Naruto, he had a different reply.

"I wasn't late, the bell was just early," Naruto replied in defense.

The students all groaned at his remark, wishing that Naruto had just stuck with the "Yes, ma'am," response. This was mostly because this was not the first time he smart-mouthed the teacher, and they all knew what was coming next.

Ms. Omisawa frowned even more. "I see," she turned to the rest of the class. "Thanks to your classmate's cheek," she began, "you will all receive the unit assignment now, instead of next week."

The class groaned even more.

"The assignment," she continued, "will be about the social habits of human beings. The project will total up to forty percent of your final grade - " she slapped a ruler on top of her desk to stop the complaining, " - and will be due in three weeks time. Any questions?"

A student raised her hand. "Can we choose our own partners?"

The teacher laughed. "Do you honestly believe that I would allow you to pick your own partners after the last time?" she challenged. "The last time I let you choose your own partners, it was a disaster! Barely half of you handed your project in, and only a third of them were complete!" She took a list off her desk. "In fact, I've already gone to the trouble of grouping you all up."

A mix of complaints and cries rose up from the students.

"Don't make me make this assignment worth fifty percent of your final grade!"

The room was silent.

"Good. Now the first group shall be TenTen, Kiba, and Chouji. The second group shall be Mizu, Shino - "

She was cut off by Mizu's cry of happiness.

"And this one actually _likes_ my bugs," Shino said miserably.

" - And Hinata. The third group shall be Naruto, Neji, and Shikamaru."

"What?!" Naruto cried. "I'm paired up with _those two_?!"

"I don't want to be your partner, either," Shikamaru said lazily from across the room.

"Same here," Neji chimed in.

"You're group members. End of story," Ms. Omisawa said sharply. "And anyone who doesn't hand a project in can expect to fail this course."

"Aww, this is gonna suck," Naruto stated glumly.

X X X

"So what should we do our project on?" Naruto asked in the hallway.

"I don't care," Shikamaru answered. "You figure it out."

"C'mon! We gotta do something, or we're gonna flunk!"

"Naruto, what possessed you to take psychology in the first place?" Neji asked.

"I thought it would teach me how to understand girls better," Naruto replied, pulling his hands to the back of his neck.

"There isn't enough psychology in the world," Neji sighed.

"But seriously! What are we gonna do for our project?" Naruto cried, bringing back the original topic. "It's not like the answer's gonna fall right down in front of us!"

Just then, Rock Lee tripped down the stairs and landed in front of the trio.

"Hello," he said in a friendly manner.

"I think we've just found the answer," Shikamaru declared.

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**A/N: So how is it so far? Good? Bad? I have like, two more chapters I need to type up (I write my stories in notebooks first.), so they shouldn't take too long. And Mizu is my sister's friend who's been bugging me to put her in one of my stories since "The Adventures of Might Guy!". She actually is a Shino fangirl in real life.**


	2. Convincing Rock Lee

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own Naruto.

**A/N: Hi, everybody! (Hi, Dr. Nick!) Here's the second chapter of "The Social Experiment"! (Sits with giant popcorn bucket) Hey, wait a minute. . . YOU'RE THE REASON MY TEETH ARE THE WAY THEY ARE!! (throws to nearest wall) Stupid, unyouthful snack.**

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"You need me to do _what_?!" Lee cried, dropping the fry that was in his hand.

"It's simple. We need you to get a make over, get a new name, and see how you do with high school society," Neji explained.

"It does not seem simple," Lee stated.

"C'mon, Bushy Brow! I know you can do this," Naruto persisted.

"But I thought I was Konoha's Handsome Devil," Lee said.

Naruto fell off the bench laughing.

"Naruto, get up," Neji ordered.

"Besides, it is not a matter of if I can do it, or not. It is a matter of how I feel about tricking people into thinking that I am something that I am not," Lee replied stiffly.

"Well, there goes the whole 'The Girls Will Be All Over You' argument," Shikamaru declared. "I still say that they're troublesome though."

"But it's psychology! You're _supposed_ to trick them into thinking something else! That's practically the whole point!" Naruto explained, grabbing his hair. "If you don't help us, we're going to flunk! So here's the deal; you can do this one teensy-weensy favour for us, and we shall be forever in your debt, _or_ you can _not_ help us, we'll fail, and then we shall make your life a living hell!"

At this point, Naruto had Lee by the collar of his jump suit, and was three millimeters away from Lee's face. A lot of people stared at them, but then walked away, not wanting to know.

Lee gulped. "Um . . . will you please allow me some time to think about this?" he asked, nervously.

Naruto let him go. "Fine, we'll let you think about it."

Lee stood up from the table. "Well, I hate to leave, but class will be starting shortly, so goodbye my youthful peers." He began to quickly walk away.

"You took that fairly well, Naruto," Neji said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, we didn't exactly decide on when he'll tell us his decision," Naruto stated smugly.

"Touche," Shikamaru replied.

X X X

Lee opened his eyes and yawned. "Another youthful day," he said, as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He froze. Something didn't feel right.

His hands slowly migrated from his eyes to his eyebrows, then his hair.

"They did not," he whispered. He found a mirror, dreading his reflection. He took one look into it . . .

And screamed bloody murder.

While he was asleep, Naruto, Neji, and Shikamaru managed to thin out his eyebrows, put some spikes in his hair, and then cover it with black makeup to hide the shine.

"They did so," he said, now noticing the black hairs around his pillow, proof that the boys took a pair of scissors to his head. He ran over to his drawers and started looking for some clothes. However, he could only find regular, one-hundred percent cotton shirts and pants. His leg warmers were nowhere to be found either.

"THEY REPLACED MY CLOTHES!" he screamed. He quickly changed into a t-shirt and a pair of pants, and went outside to track down the three who did this to him. It didn't take him long, because they were right outside his house.

Naruto smiled brightly. "That was the most weirdest thing we've ever done, eh guys?"

"It kind of suits him, though," Neji replied.

"I thought you said that you would give me time to think about it!" Lee yelled at them.

"We did!" Naruto cried in defense. "And then we came to ask you if you had any objection to it at two in the morning, and you didn't say anything, so we went ahead with it."

"Of course I did not say anything! I was asleep!"

"You sleep like a log!" Naruto exclaimed. He threw a pair of sunglasses at him. "Put these on. We don't want anyone to know that you're you yet, and your eyes are a dead giveaway."

"What makes you think that I'll help you after this?!" Lee demanded.

"Because if you don't, we'll tie you up, and burn all your spandex right in front of you," Neji replied.

This shut Lee up.

Naruto stuck his hand out. "So whaddya say, Not-So-Bushy Brow?"

Lee put the sunglasses on, and shook Naruto's hand. "You are evil," he said.

The sound of snoring was heard. Naruto, Lee, and Neji all turned to see Shikamaru sleeping against a tree. Naruto threw a pine cone at his head.

Shikamaru woke up, and rubbed the back of his head. "This is the most troublesome thing I've ever taken part of."

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**A/N: And that's Chapter 2! If anyone sees any problems, please tell me, and I'll fix them! Please review:) Sakura comes up soon, I promise!**


	3. Hideaki Takuto

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Hey, everybody! I own - (gets pine cone chucked at head.) Oww! Fine! I don't own Naruto!

**A/N: Chapter 3 is up! This is the part of the fanfiction where we get to see how people take the "new student" at Konoha High!**

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Hideaki Takuto, the alter ego of Rock Lee, was widely talked about at Konoha High that day. Apparently, he was good looking, had just moved to the neighborhood, and that's all anybody really knew about him. You have to acknowledge that a number of girls _tried_ to get to know him, but the ones who tried were always interrupted by another girl with the same goal. Asking the boys what they knew about him would also get you nowhere because they would just stand there as they grinded their teeth, growling, "He's getting all the girls . . ."

Yep. Takuto was quite popular around these parts.

Before school started, Naruto, Neji, and Lee (Shikamaru was asleep, _again_.) came across a camcorder in Shikamaru's basement. Knowing that Ms. Omisawa would want a record of their project, Neji thought taping it and turning it into a video would be easier than writing a log journal for an extra twenty minutes everyday. So Naruto, Neji, and Shikamaru were following him around, taping every moment of Lee's discomfort.

That's right. Discomfort. Lee didn't want to have any part in this idea. He had said again, and again that he didn't want to trick anyone into thinking that he was someone that he wasn't, and now everybody in the school believed that he was the super cool new student, when according to Naruto, he was far from it. But since he agreed to help Naruto and the others with their project, he was stuck with it.

"So, Takuto-kun, where are you from?" a girl from the small mob that followed him around campus asked.

"Who cares?" the girl beside her replied. She turned to Lee and batted her eyelashes. "Would you like a soda, Takuto-kun?"

"You should not buy me one," Lee answered. "In fact, it should be the other way around. It is only proper chivalry."

"If he knew that was flirting, he never would have said that," Neji said quietly, a few dozen feet away. "Look at him. He's suffering out there."

Little hearts popped up over every girl's head. "O-oh!" they all squealed. "Not only is he dreamy, but he's a total gentleman!"

A total gentleman. Now there were three facts that people knew about him. (The rumour that he had brought a puppy back to life with his smile, and then saved a bus load of small children from driving off a cliff sadly weren't true.)

_What would they say if they knew I was Rock Lee?_ he wondered to himself. Images of girls all saying "Eww!" and running away from him were in his mind. He sighed.

One of the girls gasped. "He's depressed!" she shouted, pointing at him. All of the girls swarmed and hugged him.

"Please, let go of me . . ." Lee said, sounding like he was in need of oxygen.

Naruto groaned. "Can I be the project next time?"

"If we luck out, there won't be a next time," Shikamaru answered.

"No, seriously . . . I cannot breathe!" Lee cried as the girls hugged him even tighter.

Two large boys, that looked very much like angry football players, appeared in front of him with a wisp of smoke.

"Ooh! Action!" Naruto said as he focused the camera in on them.

"Who do you think you are, busting in here and stealing all of our women?" the one on the right demanded.

"I am known as Hideaki Takuto," Lee replied. He turned to the girls surrounding him. "Are they really all your girlfriends?"

The one on the left took a few steps forward. "Are you tryin' to be funny?"

"No," Lee answered innocently. "I just have a hard time believing that all of these fine ladies are your girlfriends."

"Well, they aren't exactly our girlfriends, but we're the most popular athletes in the school!"

Lee frowned. "I am confused." He wasn't kidding either.

The girls all giggled at the comment.

"_So_ we get the pick of the girls!"

"But they should want to go out with you as well, correct?"

The football player on the left kind of laughed. "Who wouldn't want to go out with _this_?"

Lee turned to the girls again. "Excuse me, ladies, but do any of you wish to date either of these two?"

The girls all clung to Lee tighter as they frowned at the two other boys.

"He's in trouble," Neji stated.

"This is gonna be one hell of a fight!" Naruto shouted. "Where's the zoom button on this thing?!"

"You wise-ass little punk!" one of the football players cried, swinging a punch, his pride obviously damaged. Lee dodged, grabbed his fist, and threw him against one of the lockers.

"Kohaku!" the other one yelled. He turned to Lee. "You're gonna regret that!" He tried to kick him, but Lee jumped in the air (The girls had let go of him by now.), missing it. Lee kicked the other boy, sending him to join his friend at the lockers.

The girls (even Naruto) whooped and cheered at the display.

"Wow, Takuto-kun! You're amazing!"

"You totally wiped the floor with those two!"

"Go, Takuto-kun!"

The comments went on and on. Lee, being polite, thanked them for their applause, which only added to the girls' wild cheering.

"I'm gonna shove those sunglasses of his down his throat . . ." ranted one of the boys whom Lee had defeated.

"I'm right behind you," his friend agreed as Lee and the girls, followed by Naruto, Shikamaru, and Neji, walked down the hallway and out of sight.

"I've got his leather jacket!"

"Please, give it back."

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**A/N: And that's chapter 3! Sakura shows up in the next chapter, I promise! Review, please! I'm a noob at romances and I could use all the help and tips I can get!! TT My biggest fear is that the romancy chapters will wind up even shorter than these ones. DX**


	4. Haruno Sakura Notices Him

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. At all. Nope. Not me.

**A/N: I've noticed that people have been commenting on how my chapters are too short. Well, as I've told some of you, I am sorry, but I just cannot seem to make them any longer. I'll try, but please, stop yelling at me about that. Also, I've changed some of my chapters a smidge, so you can check that out later if you want to. Also, this is the chapter where SAKURA SHOWS UP!!!!!!! WOO!!!!!!!**

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Haruno Sakura snuck a peek at the boy a few seats away from her. She had heard about him as being the good-looking, gentleman-like, tough, new student at Konoha High.

She buried her face into her notebook as she blushed. They were right about one thing; he was good-looking. But what was with the sunglasses?

She shrugged it off. _Who cares as long as the rest of him is hot?!_ She sighed a little sigh.

"Sakura? Sakura!"

Sakura looked up to see the teacher standing over her, looking impatient.

"Um, yes?" she asked, blushing sheepishly.

"Look, I don't care how cute the boys in this class are, pay attention," the teacher said.

There were some laughs from the other students. All except for the cutie in the sunglasses. He just looked at her, but as soon as she looked back at him, he quickly turned away.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. Was it possible that he was also the shy type? She doubted it, considering that he had been followed around all day, and then took out a quarterback and a front liner.

She returned to her textbook. She made up her mind; she had to meet him after class.

XXX

Lee left the classroom, feeling very troubled.

All through the class, Sakura, his long time crush, kept looking at him and blushing. It seemed that she liked him - no, she liked Hideaki Takuto. She didn't even know that he was really Rock Lee.

And that was the reason why he refused to get into a relationship with her at this time.

Even though Naruto had told him that psychology was about tricking people into thinking something else, he didn't like the idea one bit, and the last thing he wanted to do was trick the girl he loved into thinking that she was going out with somebody else instead of him. If he couldn't win her heart honestly, then he wouldn't try to win it at all.

He sighed. _I hate one-sided love._

"Hello."

Lee turned around. It was none other than Haruno Sakura._ Speak of angels,_ he thought.

"I'm Sakura," she said.

"Hello, Sakura. My name is Hideaki Takuto," Lee replied.

Sakura cocked her head. "You look familiar. . . ."

Lee desperately wanted to tell Sakura everything, but he knew that if he did, it would ruin the boys' project, and according to Naruto, they would haunt him forever if that happened.

"I do not think that we have met before," Lee lied. _For every time I lie to Sakura, it is one hundred laps around Konoha,_ he told himself. _I am already up to two hundred._

Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway, I was kind of wondering if you want to go on a date with me sometime?"

"No, thank you," he answered.

"But why?" she asked, looking upset.

"I am sorry," Lee replied. "I just cannot."

"But you're totally cool!"

"And you are as beautiful as a newly bloomed flower," Lee replied, "but I cannot date you. I am sorry."

"But-"

"I am sorry, but I cannot go out with you," Lee said again. He took Sakura's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It is not you, it is I."

Sakura stood there, looking upset. She let her hand slowly slide out of his. "I see." ( I would like to point out that Inner Sakura's throwing a fit at this time.)

She began to walk away. "Goodbye, Takuto," she said over her shoulder.

"Goodbye, Sakura," Lee replied.

Sakura stopped. "Oh, I wanted to ask you something else!"

"What would the question be?"

Sakura blushed. "If you don't mind me asking . . . why do you wear sunglasses?"

"Uh, well, my eyes are very sensitive to light," he answered as he adjusted them.

"Oh, thanks!" Sakura then ran off to her next class.

_Three hundred laps around Konoha._

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**A/N: There's a switch for ya! And just so you know, Takuto is pronounced with a silent "u". Please review!**


	5. The Team Captain

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**A/N: (after looking at the previous last update time) Oh, guys, do you deserve an explanation (and a round of drinks on me). But before I say anything, I would just like to make it clear that I am NOT DISCONTINUING THIS STORY. I WILL finish it, even if it takes five years (which I really hope it won't). You see, I've been thinking a lot about this story, and wether I liked how I wrote it or not, among many other things, so I didn't feel like anything was worth writing for this. But now, I am out of the slump (mostly by the shock of when I saw when Chapter 4 went up. 2007. That's scary) and we all have a new chapter now. (And on a side note, to keep the other idea I had and like happy, I will put up a "different" kind of version to the story on DeviantArt after I finish this whole thing.) And thank you for all your reviews, because they really brought me to write this up again.**

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"You did WHAT?!" Naruto shouted.

He, Lee, Neji, and Shikamaru were all at Naruto's apartment that day after school. Shikamaru was stretched out on the slightly worn couch, Neji was leaning against a doorframe, and Lee had just taken no more than three steps into the house, Naruto not that far behind him, frustrated as he held the camcorder in front of him.

"I . . . turned her down," Lee said quietly, the whole situation making him miserable. "Please, I do not want to talk about it."

"But she was _right there_! You could have had her!" Naruto continued, following Lee into the kitchen. "It could have been the greatest night of your life!"

Lee couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his fist down on the nearest table, making a nearby bowl jump in the air before it made a suicide dive off of the edge, clattering to the floor. He turned around to face him, eyes blazing. "Do you think I do not know that?! I've been telling myself that since she came up to me! But she does not want _me_, she wants Takuto! Do you know what it is like, being so close, but also being so far away?! It is like being surrounded by glass! And it is killing me inside! But do you know what?! I would rather never go out with her than have her tricked to get what I want! She deserves so much better than that! And I promised to protect her, not hurt her, which she undoubtedly will be if she found out that it was I!"

There was an unsettling silence in the room after that, as Neji and Shikamaru looked over, and Naruto looked sheepishly away.

Lee unclenched his fist and relaxed. "I am sorry for yelling. I am just tired of it all."

"It's only been one - "

"Naruto," Neji said in a warning tone.

Lee sighed, and picked the bowl off of the floor before dropping it in the sink. "Excuse me, I have laps to do," he said, walking out the door. "And do not worry. I am wearing the sunglasses."

The resounding slam of the door as Lee walked out was the only noise in the house for a moment.

"This is all getting to be really troublesome," Shikamaru declared in a lazy drawl. "And Naruto . . . I thought you also liked Sakura."

"Well . . . I kind of found somebody else," Naruto said carefully, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, who is it?" Neji asked.

Naruto froze in place, trying not to make eye contact. "You know, heh, heh. Just a girl. Nothing for you to beat me up over."

"And pray tell, why would I beat you up?"

"Oh, no reason," he said, trying to stay cool, but failing miserably. Then in a much quieter voice he added, "Just that I like your cousin."

Neji narrowed his eyes. "Hinata?"

Naruto gulped, which only confirmed Neji's suspicions. Neji took a step forward.

"Now, now, you don't really want to beat me up," Naruto said, backing away slowly, an innocent smile plastered on his face. "After all, it would make Hinata upset, and then your future second, or maybe third cousins, I don't know it's all way too confusing, will all hate you, and - Hokay, you have a chair. I can see you're really upset now, but that's no reason to - "

"Knock it off, you're giving me a migraine," Shikamaru said before a shadow stretched out and grabbed Neji by the heels, paralyzing him.

"Let me go, Shikamaru," Neji said, trying to move.

"No."

"Your chakura's going to run out sometime."

"I am aware of that."

"Thanks, buddy!" Naruto said. "I knew you'd come through for me."

"Actually, this is all because if you get thrown into intensive care, there's no way I'm doing your share of the work."

"Good point. I'll kill him after."

"Gee, aren't you guys the greatest."

XXX

Lee ran down the street, counting off the number of laps he had accomplished. Actually, he didn't care at this point, he just wanted to clear his head. He knew that he had already finished the four hundred that he promised, but everything was still troubling him. He was so lost in his thoughts however (and with the dark sunglasses obstructing his view), he didn't notice the person coming toward him, their view blocked by a tower of bags in their arms. They collided into eachother, falling to the ground.

"I am sorry!" Lee said as he picked himself off the pavement, reaching for the bags that had dropped, and picking up the items that fell out of them. It wasn't until he handed them back over that he noticed that the person that he had bumped into was Sakura. His heart skipped a few beats before he blurted out, "Are you all right?!"

Sakura blushed. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"I will help carry your bags home if you like," he said. "To show how sorry I am that I have rammed you to the ground."

"Y-you don't have to do that," Sakura said, face red. "After all, it was an accident."

"Please, it is the least I can do!" he insisted.

"Well," Sakura said, "if you want to, I guess."

"It is an honour," he said as he lifted the bags out of her arms and started down the street.

"Wait for me!" Sakura called from behind him. "You don't know where I live!"

_Oh, right_, Lee thought as he stopped and waited for Sakura to catch up with him. _I am Takuto._

_I am Takuto._

"It's just a few blocks down this way," she said as they walked along.

"Thanks," Lee said.

"You can come in for a bit if you want," she said when they got to the house, as she pulled out her keys and unlocked the door.

"I don't want to be any trouble," he said as he followed her in and placed the bags on a nearby table.

"It's no trouble," she said, turning her head and pulling a lock of pink hair behind her ear. "Do you want a soda or something?"

Realizing that the pink-haired girl wasn't going to let him leave anytime soon, Lee decided to humour her and replied, "Yes, please. But I'm buying you one in the future."

Sakura opened the fridge as Lee fidgeted in place, drumming his fingers against his thigh. "So," she asked, "how long have you been in Konoha for?"

"A while," Lee replied, preparing to add on more laps. He took the soda from Sakura's outstretched hand. "I just started going to school here today."

"So where are you staying?"

"With Naruto," he said, considering that his actual house was right out for obvious reasons, and it was the first thing to pop into his head. "You see, I'm not staying here permanently. Only for a couple of weeks."

Sakura's face fell. "Oh."

"Please don't be sad, Sakura," Lee said. "I really can't help it."

Sakura nodded, still somewhat depressed. "So what brings you here?"

"Well, I'm actually going to move to Sunagakure, but I got held up here for a bit," Lee lied. "It's very nice here though."

Sakura nodded, looking hesitant. "Um, Takuto?" she said.

"Yes?"

"Well, I was wondering . . . . If I turned off all the lights so it was really dark, could I see your eyes?"

Lee's body jolted with sudden panic, and took a step backwards, shutting his eyes. "I am sorry, but no. They're just too sensitive."

"How sensitive? Are you blind at all?!" Sakura asked, bringing her hands to her face in shock.

"Oh, no! I am not blind!" Lee replied. "They're just really sensitive! Please, do not worry!"

At hearing this, Sakura calmed down and turned to the soda that she held in her hand. She smiled a little. "What do they put in this stuff?"

Lee looked at the side of the can and started to read the label. "Carbonated water, sugar, caramel colour, phosphoric acid, natural flavour, and caffeine," he replied seriously.

Sakura looked at him for a while before she broke out into laughter. "I'm sorry, it's just the way you said it!" she said through her giggles. "It was just so . . . so . . . . Oh, please don't be mad! I really can't help it!"

"I could never be mad at you," Lee said. "And you have a beautiful smile."

Sakura blushed again as the last of her giggles died off. "Thanks."

"I really think I should be going now," Lee said with a smile and a bow. "Thank you for your kind hospitality."

Sakura smiled and stepped forward. "You're welcome."

Lee turned away to leave, but Sakura grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him towards her, and before Lee could say anything, she quickly kissed his cheek.

He was frozen in place for a few seconds, completely paralyzed with shock and surprise, before he ran out Sakura's front door, yelling something along the lines of, "I'll see you in class tomorrow!" and continued running through the village (the resulting wind blowing things that were ten feet away over) until he finally reached Naruto's apartment, where he slammed the door and slid down it until he was sitting on the floor, dazed.

"I believe we have a problem," he declared, eyes wide.

Naruto smiled deviously, shoving the camcorder into the other boy's face. "She kissed you, didn't she?"

XXX

"That little punk!"

"You already said that, but I still think you're right!"

The voices belonged to none other than the two boys from earlier that day, now in the house of their football team's captain. It was a fine house, with said team captain being the owner after receiving it through inheritance, along with an impressive small fortune.

"Seriously, it's just one new kid," he said as he sat on the couch and spread his arms out over the back like he owned it (which he obviously did). "Get over yourselves."

"But...but he's - "

"Kohaku? Just be quiet, I've had enough. You too, Haro."

"There aren't any girls interested in us anymore," another player, Gohachiro, said.

"Sure, there are," the captain said, raven hair obstructing a side of his face as he turned it to the side. "You can't tell me that they're _all _after this Takuto person."

"Well, maybe _some_ girls are still into us, but even our old die-hards are after him! You remember that Sakura chick?"

This piqued his interest. "_Haruno _Sakura?" he asked cooly as the inside of his chest twisted slightly.

"Pink hair? Big Forehead? Yep, her too. It's a good think you don't like her, eh, boss?"

"Nevertheless, I now understand your predicaments." He stood up and walked a few paces off before saying, "If die-hards go, the rest of them go too. And we just can't be having that, can we?"

"Exactly! So what are we going to about it?"

The raven-haired boy turned to them, cool, black eyes going right through them. "You'll see," he said. "Just leave it to me."

"R-Really?"

"Yep. Your good friend," The edge of his mouth curved up in a devious smile, "Uchiha Sasuke."

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**A/N: Again, sorry it took so long to do! Really! At least I think I know for sure where I'm going with this, so it shouldn't take so long next time! I just really didn't want this to be a pointless filler chapter. Please review! (Even though I almost feel like I don't deserve it. XP)**


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